SCHOTT’s Nuclear Safety Division General Manager Thomas Fink will present at the 4th World Nuclear New Build Congress the latest findings based on the recent IAEA safety recommendations how nuclear new builds can utilize small yet high-quality components to support cost-efficient and safe nuclear power in the UK. Mr. Fink’s presentation will take place in the exhibit hall at 12PM on Tuesday, September 12. SCHOTT will also display samples from its Eternaloc® product line of glass-to-metal sealed feedthroughs and cable penetrations for the Nuclear industry at Congress (September 11-13).

In the nuclear industry, SCHOTT has been supplying electrical penetration assemblies (EPAs) for use in nuclear power plants for over 50 years. The 12,000 penetrations installed in more than 50 active nuclear power plants worldwide enable instrumentation and control signals to be transmitted through gas-tight reactor walls. SCHOTT Eternaloc® EPAs are maintenance-free with a 60-year lifetime, helping reduce total cost of ownership for utility companies operating nuclear power plants. At the same time, these components raise the standards for safety with proven integrity in high temperature and pressure severe accident conditions far superior to organic, polymer-sealed counterparts.

Putting safety under the microscope: IAEA calls for high-quality materials in I&C components

At the World New Build Congress, Thomas Fink will present recent recommendations from a July 2017 IAEA report entitled “Assessment of Equipment Capability to Perform Reliably under Severe Accident Conditions.”The report addresses the selection process for small, safety-relevant components in the instrumentation and control (I&C) chain nuclear power plants. I&C components play an important role in supporting safe nuclear plant operation, particularly in a severe accident scenario. The report highlights the fact that severe accidents can ‘subject electrical and instrumentation and control (I&C) equipment to environmental conditions exceeding the equipment’s original design basis assumptions (DBA).’

Furthermore, it recommends that when qualifying electrical and I&C equipment for use within nuclear power plants, components should be tested to be able to withstand severe accident conditions – such as a core melt. High quality materials such as glass, metal, and ceramic are the best candidates to use in I&C components for the purpose of resisting high temperatures and pressures which can compromise lesser materials (such as epoxy-based polymers) in a severe accident. Its objective is to provide ‘an international technical basis to be considered when assessing the electrical and I&C equipment reliable performance under severe accident conditions needed for implementation of mitigative measures during severe accidents’.

Mr. Fink’s presentation will demonstrate how there are existing components relevant to these recommendations available and already being used in nuclear power plants worldwide, including glass-to-metal sealed electrical penetration assemblies and severe accident hydrogen sensors. These same components can be utilized in UK new builds to increase overall safety and reduce total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the reactor.

The full IAEA report detailing I&C component recommendations is available to view here.

Mr. Fink and representatives from SCHOTT will be present at booth B1 in the exhibit hall from Monday September 11 through Wednesday September 13.

SCHOTT is a leading international technology group in the areas of specialty glass and glass-ceramics. The company has more than 130 years of outstanding development, materials and technology expertise and offers a broad portfolio of high-quality products and intelligent solutions. SCHOTT is an innovative enabler for many industries, including the home appliance, pharma, electronics, optics, life sciences, automotive and aviation industries. SCHOTT strives to play an important part of everyone’s life and is committed to innovation and sustainable success. The group maintains a global presence with production sites and sales offices in 34 countries. With its workforce of approximately 15,000 employees, sales of EUR 1.99 billion were generated in fiscal year 2015/2016. The parent company, SCHOTT AG, has its headquarters in Mainz (Germany) and is solely owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. As a foundation company, SCHOTT assumes special responsibility for its employees, society and the environment. www.schott.com